It's a Fairly Common Name
by Resident-Tree-Hugger
Summary: Joanne finds someone who's name throws her for a loop.


It's a fairly common name.

"Ms. Jefferson?"

Joanne's head snapped up from her desk, her eyes re adjusting to normal vision after reading the fine print on the document before her. It made her head ache for a moment, and she squinted at her receptionist, who had popped her head quesioningly.

Joanne smiled at her, and felt a twinge in her chest when her receptionist smiled back warmily at her, her bright red lipstick stirred memories for Joanne of another bright open smile. Of another scarlett mouth that she had loved to linger over...

God, had it really been a year already?

Joanne shook herself out of her musings, it would do no good to go down that road now, she still had to get throught he rest of the week and thinking about her ex girlfriend wouldn't make it go by any easier.

Because she was over Maureen Johnson. Competely over her.

'Over the mooooon....' her mind helpfully provided

Fuck.

Luckily, her receptionist had been looking down at her notepad and had not noticed Joanne's inner mind battle. She walked over to Joanne's desk, carefully rattling off a list of events, appointments, calls and upcoming projects. Joanne's working life was really so much easier with her to remember all the little events that kept the office running.  
She had hired her about six months ago, and was pleased with her being able to take some of the weight off of Joanne's shoulders. Nevermind that she was nice to look at, her wayward brown curls bounced around her playful green eyes that were always gleaming with a charming smile that always made Joanne think of...

Double fuck.

Of course Joanne hadn't realized that she had hired a dead ringer for Maureen until it was to late to take it back.  
Really, because what could she say? 'Oh so sorry, you look just like my whirlwind of an ex girlfriend that I just ended a relationship with. Could you please bleach your hair and not have such a pretty smile? Thanks a bunch."

"And someone is waiting in the office to see you." she had finshed and looked at Joanne with that chirpy smile that made Joanne's heart lurch again.

"Thanks Simone," Joanne said looking down to her calendar to see whom she was meeting with. She didn't remember having an appointment today, but it could be that she had forgotton.

Ah. That's because there wasn't one.

"Simone," Joanne asked, scrunching her eyebrows together "I don't have any meetings today, who's waiting to see me?"

Simone pulled her notepad close to her face and scanned the page for a moment before saying,

"A lady named Maureen stopped by, was pretty adamant about seeing you too."

Joanne's stomach dropped. Maureen? She couldn't deny the little thrill that ran down her spine as she entertained the thought her it might be her Maureen in the waiting room. Then she resisited the urge to snort ruefully.  
Not 'her' Maureen anymore.

"Maureen?" she croaked, and blushed that she couldn't even say her name without feeling flushed all over and gripping the arms of her office chair.

"Only thing to do, only thing to doooo is jump..."

God damn it.

"Yep" Simone replied, still scanning her pad of paper scribbled with notes. "She and her husband wanted to come in and have a living will and a power of attorney drawn up." Her head popped up and her sweet smile twisted at the lawyer.  
"Newlyweds." she sighed dreamily closing her eyes.

Oh. Well then. Joanne wouldn't acknowledge the slight dissapoint at the fact. Couldn't be her Maureen, no way she would ever settle down with anyone. It was the final straw in their strained relationship.

"Walls ain't so bad."

Joanne straightened some papers on her desk and spoke to Simone, careful to keep her voice leveled so as not to sound her melancoly. "I'm sure I can squeeze them in, I'm not to busy today. I'm going to run the restroom very quickly so if you could please show in Mr. and Mrs...?" Joanne drew out.

Simone's eyes pooped to her notepad again then up at Joanne.

"Cohen. Mr. and Mrs. Cohen"

The world tunneled for a moment and Joanne felt like she was having her insides sucked through them. She could physically feel the blood drain from her face and pool out through what she was sure was a rather large gapping hole in her chest.

"The dish and the spoon were evicted from the table and eloped."

"Mr. and MRS. Cohen?" Joanne asked, praying that her voice wouldn't give her away.

"Yes ma'am!' Simone repiled cheerfully, unaware of Joanne's life unraviling a little bit before her eyes. "I'll just go ahead and show them in then." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

No way. There was no fucking way.

Joanne brought her hand up to her temples and attempted to clear her mind.

They were broken up.

She wanted more than what Maureen was willing to give her.

Maureen had every right to be dating someone else. Even the skinny albino filmmaker.

There was every possibility that they had gotten back together. Maybe even married.

She didn't care.

Maureen wasn't hers anymore.

A soft bubbling sob erupted from Joanne's mouth at the thought. She brought her hand up to her to try to stiffle it.

She was still so much in love with her. So much. And right then and there, Joanne didn't care about all of Maureens faults, her inability to stop her incessant flirting, her lazyness and her wandering eye.

"Maybe it's a...female thing."

Because, what Joanne remembered most was her bright smile, her soft milky skin and the way that she always showed Joanne just how much she loved her when they were together. And that's what Joanne missed, more than anything.

All of these thoughts rushed to Joanne in th few moments after Simone had mentioned her name.

And now? Now had Maureen gone back to Mark? Had she really driven away the one person that she loved more than anyone?  
Joanne felt a deep soulful wail climb up from her insides as images flickered before her eyelids. Images of her Maureen with Mark. Her soft brown curls wrapped around his skinny pale wrist. Too pale, she decided. The rich color of Maureen's lock would most surely wash out mark's pale skin. Joanne remembered how well it had looked when Joanne twined it between her own fingers.

God she missed her, and that dull ache in Joanne's heart, the bruise that hadn't quite healed over yet quite suddently twisted, and Joanne knew that she would always feel that ache know. It was no longer possible for Joanne to ignore it. She needed Maureen, absolutly and completely.

Oddly, instead of feeling doomed by this relevation, Joanne felt uplifted. As if the dark cloud of uncertainy had been lifted from her, and had been replaced with... Joanne was hesistant to call it light, but it did feel like a reason for living had been given back to Joanne.

She sighed deeply.

Then she heard Simone's little chortle as she came down the hallway, and Joanne noticed that really, it sounded nothing like Maureen's laugh. Maureen's was more musical, like everything time that she laughed, she was singing a song. Joanne smiled in memory.

Then the voices in the hallway drew closer and Joanne seized up. Could it be? Could Maureen have really have gotten married? To Mark of all people?

There was only one way to see, and Joanne stood perfectly still. Here back ramrod striaght. If Maurren walked through that door, well Joanne knew that it would be the only time that she wouldn't want to see her.

Simone's chipper voice sounded right outside the door, Joanne took a deep shuddering breath as the handle turned.

She grabbed her own hands as the door swung open and she could just barley remember how to see as Simone ushered in.

An elderly man, gently leading in his wife, who's soft fluffy white hair could never have possibly been Maureen's beautiful shade of mahogany. Joanne hoped that her life-giving intake of breath wasn't to audible.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cohen?" Joanne felt like her smile might split her face in two as the woman who was most certainly not Maureen looked up at her and smiled with her not-Maureen smile and Joanne felt giddy.

"I hear you wanted to write up a Living will? Well I can most certainly help you with that, lets just have a seat over here..."

* * * * * * *

Later that evening Joanne lay in bed. She had taken a hot shower and was trying to relax.

Like that was going to happen.

After all the had transpired that day Joanne needed some answers, needed something to settle her raging emotions.

Needed Maureen.

Joanne sighed and picked up the phone. She had weaseled Maureen's number from Collins earlier in the afternoon.  
She had dialed the number about a dozen times,but hadn't pressed the call button. She couldn't bring herself to. Would Maureen reject her? It seemed entirely possible that she would, or that she was dating someone else. That thought rendered Joanne in two. After the office Maureen visit, Joanne knew that she had to do something. Sh wanted Maureen, and had to let her know that.

Determined, Joanne dialed the number and pressed call. She fisted the sheets as the phone rang and rang.

After a while Joanne thought that maybe Maureen wasn't at home, and felt her spirits drop.

"Hello?'

Joanne was stunned into silence for a moment. Maureen had answered.

"Hel-looo? Anyone there?"

Joanne savored Maureen's voice and wondered what had taken her so long to wake up.

"Hi Maureen."

"...Joanne?"

Joanne felt a delicious shiver run down her spine as Maureen said her name.

"Yeah, it's Joanne."

"Oh..wow, how are you?"

Joanne felt tears prick the corners of her eyes, this was right. This was love, she loved Maureen. And nothing else seemed to matter.

"I'm much better now. Listen, are you free on Friday? I would really love to see you." 


End file.
